Half a Million People Inspired by Dow AgroSciences STEM Outreach

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Mya Lang-Martinez, a fourth-grade student at Maplewood Elementary of the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township, Indianapolis has the distinction of being person number 500,000 to experience Dow AgroSciences' outreach to increase enthusiasm about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). (Photo: Business Wire)

Mya Lang-Martinez, a fourth-grade student at Maplewood Elementary of the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township, Indianapolis has the distinction of being person number 500,000 to experience Dow AgroSciences' outreach to increase enthusiasm about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). (Photo: Business Wire)

Mya Lang-Martinez, a fourth-grade student at Maplewood Elementary of the Metropolitan School District (MSD) of Wayne Township, Indianapolis reviews the results from her classroom's science experiment focused on growing plants from seeds. (Photo: Business Wire)

INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A bright smile. A raised hand. A nod that says “this is cool.” These
gestures are just some of the body language seen by Dow AgroSciences’
Science Ambassadors as they celebrate the milestone of reaching 500,000
people throughout Central Indiana with science outreach over the last
five years. On Friday, Feb. 26, employees at Dow AgroSciences, a wholly
owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), will host a
student event when the “half a million” designation will be reached.

Mya Lang-Martinez, a fourth-grade student at Maplewood Elementary of the
Metropolitan School District (MSD) of Wayne Township, has the
distinction of being person number 500,000 to experience the company’s
outreach to increase enthusiasm about Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics (STEM). Lang-Martinez is taking part in the “Cool Green
Seed Festival” where fourth-grade students from 11 of MSD of Wayne
Township’s schools come to Dow AgroSciences to share results from their
science experiments focused on growing plants from seeds. As part of the
event, students interact with company scientists to discuss how light,
water, and other factors impact a plant’s ability to grow and develop.
They also participate in hands-on activities and learn more about what
it means to have a career related to science in agriculture.

“We started growing our plants in January, and I was most excited about
the pollination part, and a little nervous too as I didn’t want to hurt
the plant. I was amazed how fast it grew!” said Lang-Martinez. This
aspiring scientist is grasping key parts of scientific method as she
pointed out, “you have to have data to keep track of everything at the
end.”

This hands-on, interactive event illustrates the engaging approach of
the more than 400 Dow AgroSciences employees who volunteer their time as
Science Ambassadors, bringing STEM topics to life for the next
generation.

“Making science fun and relevant for students and their families is what
energizes our Science Ambassadors to be out in the community,” says
Ronda Hamm, patent liaison and co-chair of the Science Ambassadors, Dow
AgroSciences. “We want students to walk away intrigued about what their
future could look like if they pursued a STEM-related career.”

The Science Ambassadors share learning opportunities with a variety of
groups in many different venues ranging from school science nights to
the Indiana State Fair. Along with exploring common STEM themes like
chemistry, biology, and engineering, the activities designed by the
Science Ambassadors also include agricultural topics such as entomology,
genetics, plant science, and nutrition. Relating agricultural sciences
to everyday life is important for a state like Indiana, where recently
announced1 statistics show Life Sciences contribute $62
billion to the state’s economy. Indiana is the second largest exporter
of life sciences products in the U.S. with $9.9 billion worth of
products, representing nearly one-third of Indiana’s total exports.

“There’s nothing more personal than the food we eat, so helping students
connect the food on their dinner plates with the technology farmers use
to grow it provides a very tangible example of how STEM touches daily
life,” said Amber Maynard, a coaching/project leader and co-chair of
Science Ambassadors, Dow AgroSciences. Maynard is one of many employees
from non-scientific functions within the company who have joined the
volunteer effort to show the variety of career paths related to science
and technology.

“Children learn science best when they are actively engaged in
discovery. The Seed Festival provides students with opportunities to
meet the scientists at Dow AgroSciences. Our goal is to use science to
make the world a better place,” said Rick Crosslin, Scientist in
Residence, MSD of Wayne Township. “Our students have discovered
important facts about the growth and development of plants. Students
have harvested new seeds and a deeper understanding of science along the
way.”

Dow AgroSciences discovers, develops, and brings to market crop
protection and plant biotechnology solutions for the growing world.
Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, Dow AgroSciences is a wholly owned
subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company and had annual global sales of
$6.4 billion in 2015. Learn more at www.dowagro.com.
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1 Data compiled by the Indiana Business Research
Center at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business and
BioCrossroads.